Radical Drag

October 2, 2008

Originally, Waxman was invited to participate in the show as an artist, but he soon became engaged with curating the exhibit instead. The result is a combination of twenty national and international artists, opening with a night of performances.

Coming from Jaffa, Raafat Hattab’s pantomime performance deals with the Israeli occupation of Palestine, while the beautiful voice of M Lamarr addresses the legacy of slavery in America. Opening night will also include performances by the legendary Ron Athey, local favourite China Doll, and a set by DJ CPI. Waxman readily affirms the critical approach of the artists exhibiting for the show.

“Not all drag is radical,” he says. “Some drag only exists to re-inscribe certain types of stereotypes. Drag can be for entertainment, or for social critique.”

“It’s worth it to see the live performances, which will be very rare and special. It will be a great thing to see this radical gesture at the nation’s capital, especially given the current art cuts and narrowing of subjectivities in Canada.”

Radical Drag opens Thu October 2 at 8pm and runs until Tue November 18 at Ottawa’s SAW Gallery.